Local men present mushroom burger

Pennsylvania leads the nation in mushroom production and a pair of southern Franklin County barbecue enthusiasts shared the spotlight with the fungi Monday at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg.

Uncle Mayham’s Mushroom Burger by Jerry Gates of Waynesboro and Chris Schriver of Greencastle was the final presentation during Mushroom Day on the Pennsylvania Farm Show’s Culinary Connection stage.

Pennsylvania produced 577.6 million pounds of mushrooms, worth $560 million, in 2015-16, accounting for 64 percent of the total volume of mushroom sales in the country, according to the Farm Show newsroom.

The best blended burger

The name of the burger — Uncle Mayham’s Mushroom Burger — combines Schriver’s Uncle-Brother Barbeque, which competes at the Backyard BBQ level, and Gates’ Bar-B-Que Mayham, which is on the pro circuit.

With the prep support of culinary students from Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, they offered a demonstration and watched hundreds of samples disappear quickly with the full house audience.

It was Gates’ second trip to the Farm Show stage with a blended burger. Two years ago, he was on following celebrity chef Gina Neely.

Gates and Shriver connected at a chili cookoff at Mason-Dixon BBQ Services in Shady Grove in December 2016 and Shriver has lent Gates a hand at some of the pro events. While Gates concentrates on meats, Shriver prepares for some of the auxiliary contests.

The pair share easy BBQ banter and Gates jokes, “I taught him everything not to do.”

They aspire to world food competition and their catch phrase is “Let’s Go Barbecue.”

Winning the Blue Ribbon Blended Burger category of the 2017 Keystone International Livestock Expo earned them the spot on the Farm Show stage. Judging was based on appearance, taste and texture.

“The competition highlights the recent trend in blended mushroom burgers — a more dense, filling and less caloric burger than one comprised of solely beef,” according to Farm Show information.

“We didn’t want a typical mushroom-Swiss burger,” Gates said. “You have to be more creative, you have to think outside the box.”

For example, instead of tomato, Schriver said they went with roasted red pepper on the burger.

“Your eyes are the first thing you taste with,” said Gates. “And you want to build layers of flavor.”

Uncle Mayham’s Mushroom Burger is stuffed with mushrooms, has mushrooms in the meat mixture and is assembled with mushrooms top and bottom. The final touch is truffle flavored mayo.

2017 Uncle Mayham’s Mushroom Burger

Bar-B-Que Mayham Burger Rub

4 tablespoons of Lawry’s seasoned salt

½ teaspoon Accent seasoning

¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon minced onion flakes

1/8 teaspoon parsley flakes

Combine all the ingredients. Reserve 2 tablespoons for the burger meat and put the remainder in a shaker.

Burger Meat

2 pounds 85/15 ground chuck

2 pounds 93/7 ground sirloin

4 ounces PA white button mushrooms

2 tablespoons burger rub

Dice the mushrooms and combine with the meats and burger rub. Place in a sealed container and refrigerate until needed.

Burger Stuffing

4 ounces PA white button mushrooms

1 tablespoon butter

Burger rub, as needed

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 roasted red pepper, diced

1 cup shredded swiss cheese

1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

1 tablespoon dried chives

Dice the mushrooms and sauté in butter until tender. Sprinkle with the burger rub and let cool. Combine the cooled mushrooms with the remaining ingredients. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until needed.

Assembling the Stuffed Burgers

Burger meat

Cream cheese mixture

3 PA Portabella mushrooms, sliced

3 tablespoons butter, thinly sliced

Burger rub, as needed

Press the burger meat into a stuffed burger mold. Add 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture. Add 4 slices of Portabella mushroom. Place 1 thin slice of butter on top. Add the burger meat on top and seal the mold. Season both sides of the burgers with the burger rub. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Jalapeno Truffle Mayo

Oil, as needed

3 jalapenos, diced

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 cup Hampton Creek Just Mayo, truffle flavor

In a lightly oiled pan, saute the jalapenos and garlic until tender. Set aside to cool. Once cool, combine with the mayo and refrigerate until needed.

Burger Topping

1 red pepper, cut into 1/4 inch rings

1 red onion, cut into 1/4 inch rings

4 ounces PA sliced baby Portabellas or shiitake mushrooms

Burger rub, as needed

All-purpose flour, as needed

3 tablespoons butter, divided

Season the onion and pepper rings with the burger rub. Toss the mushrooms in flour and sprinkle with the burger rub. Place the onions in a cast iron skillet. Add 1 tablespoon of butter, sauté until caramelized, and remove. Add another tbsp. of butter and the red pepper rings. Sauté until tender and remove. Add the last tbsp. of butter, then drop in the flour-seasoned mushrooms. Sauté until golden brown. Cover until needed to keep warm.

Burger Cooking and Build Up

6 stuffed burgers

12 slices Swiss cheese

3 tablespoons salted butter, thinly sliced

Remaining cream cheese mixture

Burger toppings

6 brioche buns

Olive oil spray, as needed

Jalapeno Truffle Mayo

4 ounces baby arugula

Famous Dave’s Spicy Pickle Chips

Bring a charcoal of gas grill to 350-400 degrees. Place the burgers on the grill and cook each side for 5 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 150-155 degrees. While the burgers are cooking, place the sautéed onion, mushrooms, and peppers in foil and reheat on the grill. When the burgers reach the desired temperature, add a thin slice of butter, then a slice of Swiss cheese. Let the cheese melt, then add a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture. Allow it to melt and remove the burgers from the grill. While the cheeses are melting, spray the brioche buns with olive oil spray and toast on the grill. Spread a light layer of Jalapeno Truffle Mayo on the bottom toasted bun. Add a slice of Swiss cheese. Add the burger, followed by the sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions and red peppers. Top with arugula. Spread a light layer of jalapeno truffle mayo on the top bun and place on top. Serve with Famous Dave’s Spicy Pickle Chips. Hold the burger together with a bamboo skewer and enjoy!

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